Freezing Vegetables

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How to blanch and freeze garden vegetables.

If you purchase frozen vegetables at the grocery store (like we all do), you may not know that you can achieve the same high-quality storage by home freezing vegetables.

If you purchase frozen vegetables at the grocery store (like we all do), you may not know that you can achieve the same high-quality storage by home freezing vegetables. Freezing garden vegetables allows safe storage for months after harvest and quick access when you need to add veggies to a meal.

Vegetables will have the best quality if they are blanched before they are frozen. Blanching is basicially a quick dip in boiling water or steam. The process partially cooks the vegetables, removing enzymes that can cause them to lose flavor and color when frozen. Most vegetables only need to be blanched a minute or two. After blanching, drop the veggies in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.

Pack vegetables in freezer bags with as much air as possible removed for a bag of vegetables that you can use all at once. If you want to be able to pour out as much frozen vegetable as you need (for corn or peas), spread veggies on a baking sheet and freeze for one hour before moving them to a freezer bag or plastic container.

For the most part, you do not need to thaw frozen vegetables before cooking with them. Some exceptions include corn, greens, asparagus and broccoli. Thaw frozen vegetables under cool running water or keep them in the fridge for a few hours.